Two men questioned over killing

Two men were provisionally detained yesterday by Russei Keo district authorities on suspicion of their involvement in the grisly Valentine’s Day slaying of an information technology student in Phnom Penh’s Svay Pak commune, police said.

Hem Kemsan, Svay Pak commune police chief, said yesterday that patrolling officers discovered the body of third-year university student Va Sovanara, 23, in a pool of blood about 9pm on Saturday night.

“Next to the body lay a blood-stained stone and the throat was cut open by a knife or razor, but the expert confirmed that the victim died before his throat was cut; he died because his head was hit with a hard thing,” Kemsan said.

Police arrested Sovanara’s co-workers Ly Pich, 24, and Niv Vannak, 23, and brought them in for interrogation yesterday morning, but Russei Keo District Police Chief Iv Chhunkheng said that the questioning was so far inconclusive. Police “are asking for [permission] from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor to [detain] the two suspects for 48 hours more in order to investigate this case”, he added.

Va Saran, the victim’s father, said his son appeared to have been killed for his motorbike.